


If You Leave Me

by Gildedmuse



Series: 11 Painful Partings [7]
Category: Across the Universe (2007), Hair - MacDermot/Rado/Ragni
Genre: Angst and Feels, But Also During Canon?, Challenge Response, Character Death, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen, Niche Fandom Fic, No Beta We Die Like Fodder For The Rich Man's War, Originally Posted on LiveJournal, Post-Canon, Vietnam War, War is hell, brothers in arms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-25 19:04:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18580702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gildedmuse/pseuds/Gildedmuse
Summary: Thousands of of miles away from home, trapped in a war neither believed in, Max and Claude were lucky to have one another to rely on. Until, of course, they didn't.





	If You Leave Me

**Author's Note:**

> [Originally posted to LJ in 2009 as part of an attempt to do a "12 Days Of Fandom" challenge. The first part was 12 Drunken Drabbles. Each of the 11 story is a different fandom but has a similar theme: Painful Partings]

**If You Leave Me**

“Oh God, Oh God, Oh God…”  
  
It isn’t that Max is against making friends. Nah, he has always been a touchy guy, grabbing onto almost anyone who passes. Out here, though, it isn’t about making friends. It’s about getting through this fucked up war and getting home, back to Jude and Lucy, and not falling apart in the process. It’s about stay quiet and staying alive, which doesn’t leave much room to become buddy-buddy with anyone.  
  
“Oh God, God… Claude, Claude, can you hear me?”  
  
But then, things happen that can’t be planned. An English boy shows up at school and Max decides that nothing matters as long as he’s got him, never mind that it’s his sister that gets him and Max just get whatever is left. A draft card gets sent home, and he don’t have any choice but to be dragged off to the ass crack of the jungle, thrown down into the middle of a war zone were they all expect him to just function like a boy use to being blown apart.  
  
And he meets a boy who has Jude’s smile but nothing else about him, really, but that seems to not matter. Because, hell, at least it’s someone that is just as fucking afraid as he is right now. A boy who doesn’t know why he showed up here when everyone was telling him to burn his card and run away. “I wanted to become invisible,” he tells Max one night when they’re in a hole together and Max can’t see a thing by the dim stars. Total darkness, total silence, trying to hide from the guerrilla troops determined to send back every single American boy. “I’ve always been invisible, I just wanted to see what it be like, really.”  
  
Max doesn’t understand what he’s saying. He’s never wanted to be invisible. If anything, he’s still waiting for certain boys to see him, but that’s the sort of shit that a good old heterosexual soldier boy fighting for his country and his mama would never think.  
  
“Claude… Shit, Claude stop it and talk to me!”  
  
Somehow, then, even as strange as he is, Claude drew Max to him. Claimed Max as an honorary member of his tribe, and Max isn’t even sure what that means, but it felt good. Good to have someone touch him, talk to him like he’s human and not some machine in an army uniform.  
  
Claude is getting him through this war, keeping his mind in one piece so he can get himself home. Claude is a friend, a boy, a human like Max and not like all those other nameless soldiers that could never be bothered to talk to him because they were too busy shaking in their foxholes.  
  
And Claude cannot be doing this to him. Claude cannot be bleeding out in this river, in Max’s arms. Or, well, he is after Max falls down into the water and pulls him back up. Presses their mouths together, forcing air down into his lungs. Take it, damnit, take it and breath please oh God.  
  
“Claude…” And he’s rocking the boy, trying to shake life back into him. One hand is holding down the bright red blotch on his stomach. Holding down the blood, forcing it back in the pale body. Don’t do this, please, don’t do this. Max isn’t a solider, and he isn’t suppose to be here and Claude and him, they’re going to get out of here and back to New York and Claude will introduce him to this tribe and meet Jude and Max will never fucking leave the city again.  
  
“Claude… Oh, God…” He’s begging and crying and shaking and the soldiers keep moving past him, like they don’t even notice that he’s fallen. Isn’t anyone going to come and help save this boy? Isn’t anyone going to save Max?  
  
Of course, Claude was suppose to save him, Claude was going to get him home. “Don’t do this… You’re not invisible yet, kid, don’t do this…”  
  
Or maybe he is. Bombs go off, guns flash around them, and no one stops to pick up either boy.


End file.
